Drexel University ACE Spring 2010
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Hello all,
I just received a letter from Drexel saying that my application for the ACE program is now complete and I'm waiting for a response. I was wondering if anyone else here is applying for the... Read More

Hey Tina!
You make a valid point about cheaper rent. Have you looked in the area for cheaper rent farther away? Where are you from? I would consider it but I did look at places right by Drexel campus in Center city. The parking is $$$$ but classes start at 8 and I am not a morning person by any means. I'd like to roll out of bed and walk to class and avoid transportation. I was talking to a PA student and she said she is in the library all night so its best to stay in the area. Anyway I'd love to hear from you!

I am Brian, congrats to all who have been accepted so far. I was conditionally accepted based upon completion and review of all prereqs which will be completed by Dec 2009. I am doing well in the 5 classes I am currently in and expect that they will take all of my prereq transfer credits.

Chem is the only one I am not sure about... I took a college level chem that was fairly basic last year at a community college in MD, it was a 100 level four credit with a lab and I got an A but the class did not really go into great detail of chem. as some of the 101 or higher level class options. Has anyone been accepted into the program with and while having their prereqs cleared with a similar class? My fear is they won't accept leaving me scrambling to complete that prereq prior to the March 2010 start date.

Also, I am in Doylestown (1 hour drive, 1.25 train) and will probably commute to save money, however, I am interested in shared housing in the city depending on how much I can squeeze out of loans. So let me know if anyone is considering roommates. I imagine it would be cost effective and beneficial to be surrounded by those going through the same thing and that trip into the city in the AM can be pretty brutal. I have a car and am willing to share it....

Anyone have any advice on links/programs on how to pay for all of this?!

Congrats on your acceptance. My guess is that the chem will be ok, since it's 4 credits with a lab, but you could always fax the course description/syllabus over to the nursing dept and ask. That should leave you time to register for a winter class if you need it.

Paying for the program is maybe the worst part about the whole thing Most of us took out the max in federal loans, as well as a private loan to cover tuition and living expenses. The financial aid counselors at the Center City campus are great and have lots of experience dealing with ACE students. I made an appointment with them a few months before I started and it helped a lot. Good luck!

Hi everyone, I just wanted to give my input and experience on financial aid. I was due to start the ace program fall 09. Unfortunatley I was unable to because I didn't have the credit needed to secure a private loan. I went to financial aid and recieved little help. I tried to find a cosigner, but was unsuccessful. I rolled my admission over to march of 2010. I was really heart broken.My advice is to get you credit in the best possible shape, secure a co-signer and apply for as many scholarships as you can. Good luck to everyone and hope to see you in march!

I agree, there's nothing Drexel can do to get you a private loan, but they did give me resources and suggestions and explained all of the fees, etc so I understood what I was dealing with. I got rejected from a few, but did find a cosigner and was able to get a loan from Sallie Mae.

Toya, best of luck to you in getting your financial aid in order. I would have been upset if I had to defer too, but I hope it gives you the time you need to straighten things out and start off the program on a good note.

Wahooooooooo they took my Chem class and now all I have to do is get a decent grade in Micro, A&PII, ethics and Dev. Psych....oh and pay for everything. I will be setting up a Financial Aid Office meeting as suggested which will probably answer most of my questions. Thanks for the advice so far.

Will the entire $34k (or so) be due at the beginning of the program or is tuition billed summer, fall, spring...?

I made pretty good money in 2008 which seems to be killing my chance of getting FAFSA aid (which I never took advantage of in my first BS). I have been unemployed since May 09 so I am expecting that I should be eligible for more aid when the 2010-11 school year and evaluation. Has anyone experienced this same problem?

I will not have any money coming in, what should I expect to borrow to include travel expenses, books, etc for the entire program?

How early in the AM do classes begin?

What time are the clinicals...although I am guessing all the times vary on my last two questions...?

They did bill the entire amount in the beginning of the program, but if you are starting in the spring, it may be divided over two school years. You may need to check with financial aid or someone began in the spring to answer you. I am pretty sure they had to complete two FAFSAs.

There is actually no "aid" in the traditional sense of grants, what you get is the stafford loan, which is 12.5K if memory serves, and that is for the whole year. So, it really doesn't matter how much money you do or do not have in this regard.

When the school send you the "financial aid" package, there is an estimate cost sheet in there, it should help you figure out how much to borrow. I found my "financial aid award summary" with it's direct cost and possible additional costs, it may be a little outdated as it was given a year ago, but it totalled about $64,000. I personally took out the stafford loan (sub and unsub), and used a lot of my savings for school, and managed not to take out any other additional loans, but I also lived at home and saved money that way.

Classes will begin 8am at earliest, although first quarter you may have a day or two where you start later. Same goes for fourth quarter, that depend on the schedule.

As for clinicals, I have had them begin as early as 6am and as late as 2:15pm. So, it really depend on luck of the draw, and where you get assigned. There were days I need to leave the house by 4:45 am to be at the hospital on time, and I have my own car. I don't want to think about how early I need to get up if I took public transit.

I know you mentioned you lived at home, but do you know where most of your classmates lived? What areas would you recommend? I see Stiles Hall mentioned a lot on here, but I cannot justify spending that much money on an unfurnished dorm room (but please correct me if I'm completely wrong!) Please excuse any stereotypes about Philly that may follow, or any misinformation, ignorance, and so on - I have only been to the city once when I was really young (but absolutely loved it)!

I've heard Manayunk is a good area & fairly convenient to the school, and heard that Center City is hit or miss. Right now I'm living in Downtown Miami in the Financial District, so I'm certainly familiar with high cost of living to be in a big city, but want to know what I can reasonably expect ... In my area, you can find a good sized studio apt in a high-rise condo with gym, pool, parking spot in garage, doorman, very safe neighborhood, etc that you can negotiate down to about $1000-1100/month ... does this sound plausible? It's so hard to tell what is what just by looking at Craigslist without being familiar with the city!

Also, just how bad is parking in the city? I hate the idea of parallel parking on the street (not very good at it...) - am I just going to have to deal with it?? I know in Miami to rent a spot it's approximately $150/month to get a spot in a garage; does that sound about right for Philadelphia?

Thanks to anybody that has any insight on this and is familiar with the city!

As far as financial aid/program cost goes, I also had a decent income the year before, and still ended up with the max in federal loans (2 Stafford & 1 Perkins) and also a private loan (which I did have a co-signer for). The total damage is about $46, 500 for me. Some people may need more for living expenses...I didn't live in Philly.

If you start in Sept, you only need to fill out the FAFSA once, March start will need to do it twice. The disbursements are made at the beginning of each quarter, so take that into account when planning your budget (you may be able to work it out with financial aid to get your refund earlier). Also, your health insurance is billed in full at the beginning of 1st quarter...I got a little surprise when I found out it took up my entire refund for 1st quarter.

If anyone is interested in contacting me to talk about housing please e-mail me. I will be starting the program in March and would like to figure out my living situation in advance. My name is Meghan and my e-mail is MWheels4@comcast.net.

Has anyone received some sort of package from the Drexel Bookstore? I got all these UPS notices on my door and when I finally called UPS they said they shipped it back to the sender at the Drexel University Bookstore. I called the bookstore and didn't reach anyone. Any clue what it could be??? I'm anxious to find out! (and kind of annoyed that stupid UPS couldn't ring someone else's bell in the building to get someone to sign for it! all 3 times!)